Psalm 59 was prayed, its title says, “when Saul sent and watched his house to kill him”: “Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; and defend me from them that rise up against me.” Surrounded by enemies prowling like dogs at night, David ends with a morning song: “But I will sing thy strength: and will extol thy mercy in the morning.” In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 58. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 59 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Unto the end, destroy not, for David for an inscription of a title, when Saul sent and watched his house to kill him.
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; and defend me from them that rise up against me.
Deliver me from them that work iniquity, and save me from bloody men.
For behold they have caught my soul: the mighty have rushed in upon me:
Neither is it my iniquity, nor my sin, O Lord: without iniquity have I run, and directed my steps.
Rise up thou to meet me, and behold: even thou, O Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel. Attend to visit all the nations: have no mercy on all them that work iniquity.
They shall return at evening, and shall suffer hunger like dogs: and shall go round about the city.
Behold they shall speak with their mouth, and a sword is in their lips: for who, say they, hath heard us?
But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them: thou shalt bring all the nations to nothing.
I will keep my strength to thee: for thou art my protector:
My God, his mercy shall prevent me.
God shall let me see over my enemies: slay them not, lest at any time my people forget. Scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord, my protector:
For the sin of their mouth, and the word of their lips: and let them be taken in their pride. And for their cursing and lying they shall be talked of,
When they are consumed: when they are consumed by thy wrath, and they shall be no more. And they shall know that God will rule Jacob, and all the ends of the earth.
They shall return at evening and shall suffer hunger like dogs: and shall go round about the city.
They shall be scattered abroad to eat, and shall murmur if they be not filled.
But I will sing thy strength: and will extol thy mercy in the morning. For thou art become my support, and my refuge, in the day of my trouble.
Unto thee, O my helper, will I sing, for thou art God my defence: my God my mercy.
Psalm 59 or Psalm 58?
The Douay-Rheims Bible follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint, while most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 58 is Psalm 59 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Eripe me de inimicis meis, Deus meus. See how many psalms are there?
What the psalm means
- Hunted at home: Saul’s men watch David’s house (1 Kings 19; 1 Samuel 19:11).
- Innocent yet attacked: “neither is it my iniquity, nor my sin.”
- God laughs at the proud: human threats are small before him.
- God my fortress and refuge.
- Morning praise: night ends in a song of God’s mercy.
How the Church uses Psalm 59
- In the Liturgy of the Hours.
- For the persecuted, as a prayer for deliverance. See psalms for protection.
A prayer with Psalm 59
Written for this page:
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise against me.
You are my strength and my fortress, the God who shows me mercy.
When the night is full of danger, keep watch over me.
In the morning I will sing of your strength and your love. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
What is Psalm 59 about?
David’s prayer when Saul’s men watched his house to kill him, trusting God as his fortress and praising his mercy in the morning.
Where is “I will sing of your strength in the morning”?
Psalm 59:17 in modern Bibles (58:17 in the Douay-Rheims).
More psalms and prayers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 58 (59), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.